The Light of Mercury
by Mei Aurora Darkling
Summary: Sequel-ish fic to Starfire. In the Mercury Lighthouse, Jenna considers her place. What is expected of her, from everyone, even the one she cares most for. And most of all, how the Light of Mercury will change her. J/I, except towards the end. Angsty. R&R.


The Light of Mercury  
  
Typed by M.A. Darkling  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Jenna panted, unable to keep up. Alex . . . he was too fast. The Mercury Lighthouse was too twisty and she was so tired. She shivered in the cold air. The flame within her was dead, trying to heat up the stone inside her. Stones that grew everywhere now. If she thought she had hardened before, Jenna was wrong. This was hardened, not being able to feel what's around you.  
  
"C'mon," Menardi urged. "C'mon, hurry up, before Saturos blows and I lose something REALLY important."  
  
Jenna started to run, but Kraden lagged behind, stumbling with old age. Even a few days ago, she would've stopped to help him. Well, not today Kraden. Fend for yourself. Jenna half crawled, half ran up the stairs, not knowing when it would end.  
  
She passed Saturos, who seemed surprised at her outburst of energy. Jenna grinned mentally as she noted he was looking half-dead on his feet. Alex was the only other one who was running. Saturos' element was wildfire-- easily doused by the heavy aquatic aura radiating from the walls.  
  
Jenna pushed Alex out of the way. Suddenly, the stair stopped and revealing a sparkling view of the Northern Ocean.  
  
She gasped. If she was in any hurry, she would've missed this, although the window was large, the empty altar of Mercury obscured the mind's eye to anything but it. The altar was made of marble, much like the statues of the goddesses of Mercury.  
  
All four goddesses were embossed on the front of the altar, each as long as her arm, detailed and cared for. Ampitrite, Doris, Thetis and Nerissa*. Kraden had made sure, that at least she, was well versed in their religion.  
  
Alex, who was not far behind at all, rushed up to the altar, Mercury star in hand.  
  
"This could take a while," he explained. "But Mia's not coming back for a while at least . . . " He grinned a bit, as if he knew something they did not. Or at least she and Kraden didn't.  
  
"That plague you released was a little much, Alex," Felix chided. "Mia's a healer or so you told us. Won't her first instinct be to try to Potent Cure them all at once?"  
  
Ah, Jenna thought. Brother dearest reveals all.  
  
"No," Saturos collapsed on the floor, Menardi soon following, yet still somewhat in better shape. In Jenna's point of view, Menardi nearly worshipped the dirt Saturos walked on, yet very subtly. Very, very subtly.  
  
"No," Alex agreed. "Mia doesn't use Cure. She uses Ply."  
  
"Wha?" Jenna said stupidly. The lighthouse seemed to temporarily addle her wits. However, Kraden perked up with interest.  
  
"The Ply? The one the Mercury clans used?" Kraden's eyes started to glow with a scholarly air. Jenna knew that he wouldn't be able to resist asking Alex a thousand questions. He was old, but had never fully grown up.  
  
"Yes," Alex sighed. "Ply is powerful, but concentrated. To heal all the townsfolk of Imil, she would have to meditate for days. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to light the altar--"  
  
Alex turned away and began to fiddle with the knot Isaac had tied on the Mythril Bag. He was a talented knot-tyer and none of the people here were talented knot-untyers, so Alex was having some trouble.  
  
Leaving Jenna plenty of time to wallow in self-pity.  
  
Menardi was not her age, Jenna guessed. She was probably older by five or six years, but she was another female, which was best for her as well. Even though Menardi had kidnapped her, she was becoming a friend of sorts, someone who was also hardening on the inside.  
  
Jenna walked to the railing. There was no window here. It was a gazebo, like in the ruins near Mt. Aleph, only located on the tower platform, not on the ground, in a wreck of something once called a garden. The Northern's chilled wind froze the stone within her. Jenna no longer cared.  
  
She wondered what Isaac was doing right now.  
  
Isaac had always seemed to handle pain and guilt with silence. She wondered if he was silent now. Garet could barely comprehend the hand-sign system Isaac had worked out. Maybe Isaac was using those simple words, clunky and heavy hand motions that he used with Garet, not the brightest of friends.  
  
Of course, he made it up to Isaac by being fiercely loyal to him and Jenna, when he wasn't being entirely moronic. But Jenna had always fancied herself as being the best at understanding how the signs worked. Isaac's hands were fluent and graceful when he used all the rules of grammar that made up his silent language. It was like a game, a game he was talented at, one that raised commucation as its prize.  
  
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Kraden insisted that they read classics, even if he only had one copy. She chuckled slightly. The memory of all three of them crowding around the book, Garet yelling to turn the page, Isaac signing furiously, Jenna hitting both on the head in turn.  
  
She knew what the phrase meant now. Jenna thought she had known, when her family died. But there really isn't any way to grow fonder over the dead. You can't tell them you love them when you see them again, because you'll never see them again and there's nothing to hope for. You can only keep loving them the same amount since they died. Maybe, less as decades go by, if you're coldhearted enough.  
  
Jenna's heart grew fonder over her friends, over ma'am, over that awful mutt Garet's little sister kept. Especially one friend.  
  
The mental image of Isaac going through the same hand motions, over and over again to Garet. Repeatedly pointing the the table, a loaf of bread and herself. During the second half of Isaac's silence, he had slowly gained some of his spirit. It showed.  
  
"Ah-hah!" Alex rejoiced. "I give you, the Light of Mercury!"  
  
As Alex stepped back, Jenna sucked in her breath. The aura, of which Jenna could withstand seconds ago, became deafening, crushing her body and soul. The light was blinding. She hid her eyes. Saturos had practically died. Menardi extended her hand to help him up, but he refused and stood up, somewhat shakily, but without assistance. Menardi looked hurt and Jenna wanted to slap him.  
  
After a while she realized that she had latched onto the railing. Then, for one dark moment, she considered jumping.  
  
Isaac wouldn't know. Even if he was tracking them, he wouldn't know until Kraden told him. Maybe Kraden wouldn't tell him.  
  
But Kraden couldn't tell him that Jenna cared for him, like she couldn't for Garet. Garet had been the one interested in her. Isaac had been the young man everyone assumed would be the best man, the mutual friend of both bride and groom. The wedding Jenna feared would happen if this hadn't happened.  
  
The distance was great. Maybe she would break her neck during the fall or die on impact. She had read somewhere that the shock of falling kills a person. Was it true?  
  
Before she could even decide to find out or not, Felix grabbed her arm and pulled her towards a platform on the left side of the room. She glanced back and caught a glimpse of the very one she had been thinking of. Behind him, was a young woman she had seen only once before. In her dream of a friend. The names of those she recognized were born in mouth faster than anything she could tell them. "Isaac! Garet!"  
  
They glanced at her. Her dream-friend grasped Isaac's sleeve and in an instant Jenna felt everything she hadn't told him rise to her throat. But as she made eye contact with him, although he was an earth-Adept, she saw the Light of Mercury in his eyes. Jenna suddenly understood, that soon, she would lose the battle for him before she could fight.  
  
The Light was blinding and she had to cover her eyes once more.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*--These are names of nereids (no, not the Summon) that I can remember. There are fifty of them, and only three are real nereids. Doris is the mother of the nereids. I pity her. 


End file.
